Why HBO Has the Best Summer Movies This Year

It was one of the most talked about films at this year's Sundance Film Festival, with an incredibly thorny, of-the-moment narrative about sexual abuse and a starry cast that includes Laura Dern, Ellen Burstyn, Elizabeth Debicki, and John Heard. It also has an acclaimed female writer-director behind the camera (Jennifer Fox). When it screened, it got unanimous acclaim (literally -- the Rotten Tomatoes score is sitting at a cool 100).

But when the film was finally picked up, "The Tale" didn't secure a theatrical run. The omnivorous Netflix didn't even nab it. Instead, it will be headed to HBO next week. It's a big move for a big movie, and a sign that the premium cable company is still hungry for prestige.

And, for sure, HBO still invests in original films, usually with some kind of true-life or political bent, like Jay Roach's great "Recount" (2008) and "Game Change" (2012). But there isn't the kind of prestige around these movies like there were around the older films or the current run of HBO series.

But it looks like that is changing (again).

Earlier this year, Al Pacino starred as the embattled Penn State football coach in Barry Levinson's "Paterno." (Levinson is having something of a second wind on HBO, after helming last year's similarly slick "Wizard of Lies.") "Paterno" feels more like the HBO original film of recent memory -- star-studded, based on actual events, and handsomely produced. But it also felt dangerous in a way that few of the recent movies have been (and, from all accounts, how "The Tale" is).

HBO is making it very clear that the streaming services don't have a monopoly on forward-thinking original content, both when it comes to television series and brand new movies. And HBO is going to make that assertion known this summer. In fact, you could easily say that some of the best summer movies are going to debut exclusively on HBO (especially when you factor in things like Jean-Marc Vallee's Amy Adams-led miniseries version of "Sharp Objects"), especially since there isn't a superhero or a sequel in sight.